Cuff link construction



June 6, 1939. 1 J. E. O'BRIEN 2,161,189-

CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION Filed June 24, 1957 fiz en for Patented June 6, 1939 OFFICE 2,161,185 LINK CONSIRUQH J ome E- O flm eifl ro Ma s q t Morse Andrews 00., a corporation of Massachusetts rr ica ie Ju e 24, 1937. Serial 1 3 8 Claims.

My present invention relates to the jewelry art, and has particular reference to the construction of cuff links.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved construction for a cuff link of the type having a movable end member.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a eufir link having a small number of readily manufactured parts, which are easily assembled to form a sturdy and strong link.

It is an additional object of myinvention to provide a cuff link having a movable end member .whi h is selectively movable to two positions at right angles to each other and is releasably locked in either position.

With the above and other objects and advan- ,tageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a novel cuff link embodying my invention, an alternative of the movable end being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 2, parts being in section and the movable arm in upright position;

Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of the movable end;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one spring arm; and

Fig. 7 is a section perspective view of the spring arm housing.

Referring to the drawing, the-novel cuff link I!) includes ahead I I, a shank I2, and a movable end I3; the head I I may be of any size or shape, and may be decorated in any desired manner, as by plating, enamelling, by mounting ornaments or precious and semi-precious stones therein; or in any other desired manner.

The head II is recessed, note Fig. 4:, to receive a spring arm housing I5, shown in perspective section in Fig. '7, the housing having an upright tubular shank portion I6 which is bevelled at its upper end, and a flat oval base H which has rivet openings I8 therethrough to receive rivets I9 formed integral with the head II. I

Locked in the housing I5 are the lower ends 20 of two spring arms 2 I, see Figs. 6 and 4, these ends having fiat inner surfaces and grooved arcuate outer surfaces, to be permanently retained in the housing, the upper portions 22 of the spring arms being curved in order to provide a U frame, see Fig. l, when assembled. The inner end surfaces of the portions 22 are formed with cams 23 in the form of an upstanding cross, a

centering pin 24 being provided at the cam intersection.

The movable end I3, see Fig. 5, is indentedv at opposite sides with cooperating cross cam seats 25 having a central bore 25, whereby the cams 23 of the spring arms 22 contact the cam seats and the centering pins 24 extend into the bores 26. The U frame of the two arms and the movable end are preferably designed to fit snugly, see Fig. 4, so as to present a torpedo shape, but any suitable design for the parts may be used. The parts are preferably made of hard metal, and may be stamped.

With the parts in assembled relation, the move able arm may be turned, see Fig. 1, on the centering pins as pivots. As the arm turns, each cam 23 rides out of its groove 25 and then seats again, with the parts displaced ninety degrees, the pins 24 and bores 26 cooperating with the spring arms to prevent separation of the end from the U frame during the turning movement. The end is thus releasably retained in selected positions ninety degrees apart. The length of the housing I5 may be varied to control the spring resistance between the two spring arms, as decreasing the length of the portions 22 increases the grip of the spring arms on the movable end. The contacting regions of the arms and the end are preferably shaped to afford engaging surfaces of substantial area, so as to increase the retention of the parts when in their selected alternative positions. If desired the shank may be made in one piece, but it is preferred to assemble the shank as described.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4, the end I3 may be passed through the cuff button holes, and then turned to lock the cuff ends together.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the number of parts, their relative assembly, their size and shape, and the type of cam parts used, may be changed to suit the requirements for different cuff link designs, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cuff link, a head, a housing extending therefrom, a shank having arms forming a U shaped frame anchored in said housing, means for locking said shank in said housing, and a movable end pivotally mounted between the ends of said arms, said end having cam groove seats on opposite sides thereof and said arms having cam projections engageable with said cam groove seats, said end and said arms having additional integral parts engageable to prevent separation thereof.

2. In a cuff link, a head, a housing extending therefrom, a shank anchored in said housing, said shank having a grooved anchoring portion seated in said housing and two U-shaped arms extending therefrom, and a movable end pivotally mounted between the ends of said arms, said end having cam groove seats on opposite sides thereof and said arms having cam projections engageable with said cam groove seats, said end and said arms having additional integral parts engageable to prevent separation thereof comprising bores and centering pins.

3. In a cuif link, a head, an elongated tubular housing extending therefrom, a shank having arms forming a U shaped frame locked in said housing, and a movable end pivotally mounted between the ends of said arms, said end having cam groove seats on opposite sides thereof and said arms having cam projections engageable with said cam groove seats, said end and said arms having additional integral parts engageable to prevent separation thereof comprising bores in said end and centering pins in said arms.

4. In a cuif link, a head, an elongated tubular housing having a tapered rim and mounted on said head, a shank having arms forming a U shaped frame extending therefrom, and a movable end pivotally mounted between the ends of said arms, said end having cam groove seats on opposite sides thereof and said arms having cam projections engageable with said cam groove seats, said cam groove seats comprising straight grooves intersecting to form 'a cross and said cam projections comprising straight ridges intersecting to form a cross.

5. In a cuff link, a head, a housing extending therefrom, a shank having arms forming a U shaped frame, one end of each of said arms being anchored in said housing, and a movable end pivotally mounted between the ends of said arms, said end and said arms having cooperating cam grooves and seats in the form of crosses, and integral cooperating centering means comprising centering projection elements and bores.

6. In a cuff link, a head, a tubular housing extending therefrom, two spring arms each having an end secured in said housing, their other ends forming a U frame, and a movable end pivotally mounted in said frame and selectively movable to diiferent angular positions with respect to said head.

7. In a cuff link, a head, a shank extending therefrom, and a movable end secured to said shank, said shank having two spring arms with cruciform cam means and integral centering pins extending at right angles from the intersection of said cruciform cam means, said head having cruciform cam grooves cooperating with said cruciform cam means to selectively position said movable head in different angular positions with respect to said shank.

8. In a cuff link, a head, a tubular housing extending therefrom, two spring arms each having an end anchored in said housing, their other ends forming a U frame, and a movable end seated in said frame, said end and said arms having cooperating cruciform cam grooves and seats and integral cooperating centering means at the intersection of the crosses.

JEROME E. OBRIEN, 

